Do I need counselling ?
As already described in the counselling section, counselling provides a secure and confidential space for you to share with a trained professional about your issues, concerns and difficulties.
In all probability, by the fact that you are reading this page, you or someone you know is having difficulties, of a sort, in life. Difficulties, problems, issues, mental ill health, psychological pain, anger, unhappiness, trauma and many other experiences can be dealt with (or not) in a variety of different ways. Well-being and mental health is big business and there are a plethora of counsellors, therapists, practitioners, doctors, professionals, psychiatrists, pharmaceutical companies and more (myself included) who are able to offer assistance, guidance and/or relief.
Commonly, people will seek counselling because they are experiencing depression, anxiety, relational problems, or another issue that is causing them some distress. It might not be a counsellor that you need, maybe you just need someone to talk to. A friend, a family member, someone that you trust. One can think outside the box here, it could just as easily be a teacher, a colleague, a neighbour or an acquaintance or other person. It needs to be someone that you trust, maybe even someone in a position of authority. There are also plenty of self-help books out there you could read.
You may have had people suggest to you that you should see a counsellor? You may have been thinking it yourself. When it comes down to it, you need to make the decision about counselling for yourself, after reflecting on any guidance and thoughts you may have had about it.
Remember that psychological pain can also come via physical pain or physical problems. If you are unsure, it might be worth checking with your doctor, and/or a chiropractor, massage therapist, dentist or nurse.
I would not recommend flipping a coin. I think that going to see a counsellor is a serious committment if anything worthwhile is going to come out of it. If you are facing problems, pain and difficulties in your life that you are unable to deal with yourself and you feel there is no-one that you can turn to for help then counselling may be an option for you to consider.
If you do decide to start undertaking counselling there are many avenues you can take. You can do a google search of your area of 'counsellors in XX county', you can visit offical sites such as the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP), or many others that can be found in this Online Directory.
Many young people get a referral through CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). The first step to getting help from CAMHS is usually that you will be referred for a CAMHS assessment. This referral can come from your parents/carers, a teacher, GP, or yourself (self-referral) if you are old enough (depending on where you live). If you live in North Somerset for example you can access CAHMS via the North Somerset Council Website.
You can of course go private - direct to the counsellor yourself. If I can help then please contact me to discuss.
Remember that the process of getting assessed and actually getting to see a counsellor may take time, in some cases it may take a long time. Starting the process early should be considered if time is an issue. Most counsellors will have waiting lists. Going via the NHS is going to take one a lot longer. CAHMS say that they will get to see you within 12-weeks of registration. The Independent newspaper requested information from 48 NHS mental health trusts about the time children were waiting for a first appointment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) following a referral and the availability of beds for those with the greatest needs and they found that vulnerable children are waiting almost 3-years to access mental health services, while others a seen in little over a week.
When it comes down to it ... the decision is yours. I wish you well on your journey.
